Social Media Recap: Grumpy Cat Does Not Sell Cars

I recently traveled with a few of our digital consultants when they went to visit one of our local dealerships. We typically call our clients so that we can maintain a high frequency of communication, and we also visit them and sit down face-to-face to make sure everything is going well. We pride ourselves on taking our customers’ needs seriously, and we do so by nurturing these long-term relationships.

Our digital consultants asked me to join them because this particular dealership was having issues with its current social media implementation strategy. At the time, the social media coordinator was resorting to trite Facebook posts (e.g., puppies, babies, and Grumpy Cat), in order to fulfill a predetermined posting quota. The dealership wanted to get our feedback, even though it was not working directly with us on social media. This is the type of “above and beyond” service we consistently provide our clients.

In the Social Media department, we are well-aware that our largest competitor isn’t necessarily one of our respected peers, but in actuality is any of the over one billion Facebook users that are out there. There seems to be a common belief that every consumer is also a producer. That line of reasoning can be extended further, as even Facebook users might be considered producers as well.

To assume so is to misunderstand the distinction between tactics and strategy. Certainly the tools are readily available, and an argument could even be made that they are free. However, every person with access to Adobe Photoshop is not a designer, just as every person with access to a pencil and paper is not an artist. Furthermore, Facebook posts are not necessarily commodities, nor are all posts are created equal.

This misunderstanding is where we commonly see the aforementioned banal posts originating from. Whereas it makes sense for an average Facebook user, or even a local radio station, to share the latest buzz-worthy post circulating on the Internet, such posts are poor marketing for an automotive dealership. You wouldn’t run a display ad with Grumpy Cat, and if you did, you could expect poor performance.

Furthermore, when customers decide to ‘Like’ your Facebook page, they are telling you something. They are electing to receive continued communications from you in a conversational channel based on certain expectations. As an automotive dealership, your communication is expected to contain information related to the automotive industry or to provide value to auto owners in your market.

This is a tremendous opportunity! These people have self-selected to receive the exact type of communication that you want to provide them! These people want to be advertised to, so why deny them that?